The arrival of springtime means budding flowers, blossoming trees, and green blades of grass. Unfortunately, with this abundance of new growth come sprouting weeds as well. Crabgrass in particular, is a weed that continues to frustrate homeowners year after year. However, by understanding how a weed grows and knowing a few prevention tips, you’ll be on your way to having a healthier, more weed free lawn.

What is crabgrass?

Crabgrass is a summer annual weed whose seeds germinate during spring and summer. When soil temperatures reach 60°-64°F at a depth of 3", the seeds may begin to germinate.

During the summer, seeds can continue to germinate in temperatures of up to 95°F. Un-germinated seeds can stay viable in the soil for up to thirty years! Given the fact that a single crabgrass plant can produce over 150,000 seeds during the growing season, it’s easy to see why controlling it is difficult.

A few points about crabgrass control

• Use good standard cultural practices (i.e. proper mowing height, not over watering and using high quality fertilizer).
• Conduct soil tests to determine what nutrients the lawn needs. Each lawn has different growing conditions.
• Remember, crabgrass is a symptom of poor turf and not a cause of poor turf! Conditions that do not give turf a competitive advantage will end up encouraging crabgrass.
• Be careful when using phosphorus. Excessive amounts of phosphorus at the soil surface can encourage development of germinating weed seeds. Use the results from a soil test to determine nutrient needs.

How crabgrass reduction can be done

The most effective, non-cultural way to reduce crabgrass is to use a pre-emergent control. Pre-emergents prevent the establishment of germinating seeds. To be effective they should be applied at the right time in the spring. After a pre-emergent is applied, a light rain or watering helps to establish a control barrier.

Using “natural” controls

Corn gluten is a by-product of processed corn used for animal feed and is a natural alternative that may be used. The product contains protein and organic nitrogen so it is also considered a source of fertilizer. To be most effective, corn gluten should be applied before crabgrass germination and followed up with a second application in the summer. Using corn gluten year after year will provide for increased crabgrass control over time.

Keep in mind even under the best conditions and proper use of control products, only about 80-90% reduction is normally achieved. The perfect green, weed free lawn is more a myth than reality and unfortunately often endorses unnecessary and irresponsible pesticide use.

This article was provided by NaturaLawn America. To find out more about crabgrass control or Integrated Pest Management, please contact NaturaLawn of America at 800-989-5444 or online .